The invention relates to an overhead bin for use on both sides in an aircraft.
Such overhead bins for use on both sides have been in widespread use for a long time. In particular, such bins are located in passenger cabins comprising two aisles and are arranged along the longitudinal axis of the fuselage above passenger seats located in the centre of the cabin cross section (therefore hereinafter also referred to as “centre overhead bins”). They are used to accommodate items of baggage of passengers who have the centre seats in the cabin allocated to them. The overhead bins are tied to the seat configuration in the centre region, and if at all possible should not protrude into the aisles, where they would become a hindrance to passengers. If a configuration comprising only one seat in the centre region is to be implemented, this may result in very narrow overhead bins in the centre of the cabin.
The use on both sides of a centre bin requires two baggage loading openings, as well as a partition in the interior of the overhead bin so that items of baggage placed from one end do not force out any items of baggage that have been put in place from the opposite end. A conventional centre bin is divided such that it is essentially symmetrical to its longitudinal axis, which in the installed state extends along the centre line of the passenger cabin. This means that from both ends the available loading volume of a divided centre bin is identical. However, it is only in the rarest of cases that the passengers on board all have items of hand baggage of identical size, so that both large and small items of hand baggage have to be stowed in the centre overhead bins. If the centre overhead bins are relatively small, passengers from the centre seats preferably place their items of hand baggage in lateral overhead bins situated on the outside, which overhead bins provide significantly more space than narrow centre bins. This is not desirable, not only so as to avoid overloading the lateral overhead bins, but also so that adequate stowage room is available for the baggage of the laterally seated passengers. However, conventional centre bins cannot provide flexible use for items of baggage of different sizes.